Snorkels

Snorkels and snorkel sets from TUSA, Fourth Element, Beuchat, Aqualung and Mares — plain tubes, dry tops, purge valves and complete mask-and-snorkel combinations for adults and juniors. Whether you want a simple spare to stow in a BCD pocket or something comfortable enough for a week of surface swimming, it is here. Everything ships from our UK shop, picked by a team who dive and snorkel the same kit.

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Read the full buying guide

Types of snorkel, and which one suits you

Snorkels split into a few clear groups, and the name on the product usually tells you which group you are looking at.

Dry tops

A dry top closes the tube when the snorkel goes under, so you surface with a clear tube rather than a mouthful of water. It is the type most people want for real snorkelling, particularly if you are duck-diving down and coming back up again and again. The TUSA Hyperdry Elite II, the Platina II Hyperdry and the Sport Dry Snorkel sit here, as does the Fourth Element Dry Snorkel.

Plain tubes

The simplest option: a tube, a mouthpiece and a clip. Nothing to service, nothing to fail, and it packs down small. If the snorkel is a backup you carry on scuba dives rather than something you breathe through for an hour, this is usually the right answer.

Purge valves

A purge is a one-way valve at the low point of the snorkel. Water that gets in drains out there instead of needing a hard blast to clear, which matters most for anyone who finds clearing awkward. Beuchat's Oceo Purge Junior is the example in this collection, and it is aimed at exactly that beginner.

Snorkels for scuba, snorkels for the surface

These are two different jobs. On a scuba dive the snorkel spends its life unused, right up until you are on the surface in chop waiting for the boat, at which point it becomes the most useful thing you own. What you want there is small, low-profile and easy to stow, so it is not catching on your mask strap or a line. The Aqualung Wrap and Fourth Element's Splash and Float snorkels are worth a look for that.

Surface snorkelling is the opposite. You are breathing through it continuously, sometimes for an hour at a time, so comfort at the mouthpiece and a tube that stays clear are what count. That is why we point most snorkellers at the dry-top models rather than the simplest tubes.

Mask and snorkel sets

Around half of what is listed here is sets rather than standalone snorkels, and for most people starting out that is the sensible buy. Mask and snorkel are matched, the clip fits, and you are not left guessing at compatibility on the morning of the trip.

TUSA has the deepest run of sets: the Serene, Splendive, X-Plore, Elite and Visio Tri-Ex, plus the Mini Kleio Dry Snorkel Set. Beuchat covers the Oceo Adult and Oceo Junior sets, Aqualung the Nabul Combo, and Mares the Combo WAHOO.

Buy the snorkel on its own when the mask is the sticking point. Faces vary, and a mask that seals perfectly on someone else can leak on you. If you have already found a mask you get on with, keep it and add a snorkel separately.

Fit and comfort

The mouthpiece

This is the part that decides whether you enjoy the session. A mouthpiece you have to clench to hold will give you jaw ache long before you are ready to get out. If you are stuck between two snorkels, take the one whose bite tabs sit in your mouth without effort.

Juniors

Children need smaller everything, and a set that only half fits will put them off the water altogether. Beuchat's Oceo Purge Junior and Oceo Junior Snorkeling Set are built for smaller faces, and the TUSA Mini Kleio Dry Snorkel Set is the smaller-format option in the TUSA range. Fit the mask first: a leaking mask is what ends a child's snorkelling, not the snorkel.

The brands in this collection

TUSA is the backbone of the range here, covering entry-level sets through to the Hyperdry snorkels. Fourth Element is a British brand with a strong following among UK divers, and brings the Splash, Float and Dry snorkels. Beuchat is the French end of the range, with the SPY, the Tubair and the Oceo family. Aqualung adds the Wrap snorkel and the Nabul Combo, and Mares the Combo WAHOO.

If you want the wider picture, the snorkelling gear collection covers fins and the rest of the kit, and the mask pages are the place to start if the mask is what you are really shopping for.

Frequently asked questions

Which snorkel brands does Oyster Diving stock?

In this collection you will find snorkels and snorkel sets from TUSA, Fourth Element, Beuchat, Aqualung and Mares. TUSA has the widest spread, from the Imprex II and Sport Dry Snorkel through to the Hyperdry Elite II, Platina II Hyperdry and a run of adult mask and snorkel sets. Fourth Element brings the Splash, Float and Dry snorkels. Beuchat covers the SPY, the Tubair and the Oceo family, including the junior versions. Aqualung adds the Wrap snorkel and the Nabul Combo, and Mares the Combo WAHOO.

What is the difference between a dry snorkel and an open-top snorkel?

An open-top snorkel is just a tube. Nothing closes the top, so if you duck under it fills and you clear it on the way back up. A dry top has a valve that shuts when the snorkel goes under, so it stays clear. Dry tops suit anyone snorkelling at the surface and diving down repeatedly; a plain tube is simpler, packs smaller and has nothing to go wrong. Where a snorkel here carries Dry or Hyperdry in its name, such as the TUSA Sport Dry Snorkel, the Fourth Element Dry Snorkel, the TUSA Hyperdry Elite II and the Platina II Hyperdry, it uses a dry top. Check the individual product page for the detail on any particular model.

Do I need a snorkel for scuba diving?

Most entry-level courses ask you to have one, and it earns its place on a boat dive or a long surface swim in chop, where you can breathe face-down without burning gas. Plenty of experienced divers stow a small snorkel in a BCD pocket rather than mount it on the mask strap, where it can catch. If you dive somewhere with current, or you end up swimming on the surface often, carry one.

Should I buy a snorkel on its own or as a mask and snorkel set?

A set is the quicker way in. The TUSA Serene, Splendive, X-Plore, Elite and Visio Tri-Ex sets, the Beuchat Oceo sets, the Aqualung Nabul Combo and the Mares Combo WAHOO each pair a mask with a matched snorkel, so you are not left working out whether the clip fits. Buy separately when the mask matters more than the snorkel. If you have already found a mask that seals on your face, keep it and add a standalone snorkel such as the Fourth Element Splash or the Aqualung Wrap.

Are there snorkels and sets suitable for children?

Yes. Beuchat makes the Oceo Purge Junior snorkel and the Oceo Junior Snorkeling Set for smaller faces, and the purge gives a nervous beginner an easier way to clear the tube. The TUSA Mini Kleio Dry Snorkel Set is the smaller-format set in the TUSA range. Fit the mask first, because a mask that leaks is what puts children off snorkelling, not the snorkel. Junior kit is entry-level by design, which is the right call for something they will grow out of.

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